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AIR RCEF July 27, 2017 FLGOFF Robert Bruce Meiklejohn. Plaque honours war hero ‘ WGCDR Mary Anne Whiting and SGT Dave Morley A UNIQUE plaque commemorating the courage of a Wagga Wagga-born WWII bomber pilot was presented to the RAAF Wagga Aviation Heritage Centre by the pilot’s nephew on July 14. Wagga Wagga loc a l Stua r t Meiklejohn presented the plaque, honouring the sacrifice of his uncle FLGOFF Robert Bruce Meiklejohn, to the OIC of the Aviation Heritage Centre SQNLDR Nigel Webster. FLGOFF Meiklejohn, who was the eldest of six brothers, enlisted in the Air Force, aged 20, in August 1941. Following his aircrew training, he was posted to Bomber Command’s No. 7 Squadron, Royal Air Force, flying Stirling bombers. In October 1942, 7SQN was transferred to the Pathfinder Force with the job of finding and marking targets for the Main Force of Bomber Command. On the night of June 21-22, 1943, FLGOFF Meiklejohn was the pilot of Stirling EF-366, when he took off from RAF Base Oakington at 12.07am. They were tasked with marking a turning point to the south-east of Eindhoven in Holland with parachute flares to assist the main body of bombers in reaching their target of Krefeld, in Germany’s Dusseldorf region. Soon after deploying the flares, the aircraft was attacked by one, possibly two, German night fighters and its hydraulics were badly damaged. FLGOFF Meiklejohn ordered his crew to bail out, while remaining at the controls of the stricken bomber. All the crew, with the exception of New Zealand navigator FLGOFF Charles Redwood, who may have been wounded, bailed out as the Stirling went into a steep dive. People from the Belgian village of Achel later reported seeing the nose of the bomber rise before finally crashing away from the village. The surviving crew members, FSGT E. Brown, RNZAF; FSGT L. Ellingham, RAF; FSGT F. Hugh, RAF; FSGT W. Cole, RAF; and FSGT J. Kilfoyle, RAF became prisoners of war. Each year on the anniversary of the crash the villagers of Hamont-Achel gather in a small chapel to commemorate “the pilot from Wagga” who is credited with saving their village. In 2010, FLGOFF Meiklejohn’s brother Peter, who was six-years-old when his brother was killed, attended one of these services and was presented with sections of the wreckage, which had been excavated from the crash site in 2007. Concerned he might not be able to return through Australian Customs with the fragments, he felt unable to accept the gift. However, just two months after returning home, Mr Meiklejohn was surprised to receive the mounted fragments of wreckage in the mail, after they had been treated and cleared through the Belgian Embassy in Canberra. In presenting the plaque to the RAAF Wagga Aviation Heritage Centre, Mr Meiklejohn said it was important for the plaque to be in a public place. “That way it can be seen and its story can be shared with many people rather than just immediate family,” he said. “I’d like to thank the heritage centre for agreeing to display something that is a personal family story.” OIC of the Aviation Heritage Centre, SQNLDR Nigel Webster, said the plaque had pieces of wreckage of FLGOFF Meiklejohn’s Stirling bomber EF-366 mounted on it. “Because FLGOFF Meiklejohn was actually from Wagga, it’s important for our heritage centre, which provides a history of Air Force involvement and its peoples’ sacrifices in the Riverina, to have this plaque on display here,” he said. “His family also presented us with a memorial plaque from a church his family attended at Downside, but which was later decommissioned. “The family felt, as part of the dis- play’s launch, they’d present that to go with the storyboard, so it could be displayed here at the heritage centre for all our visitors and people from Wagga Wagga to see.” FLGOFF Meiklejohn’s brother, Peter Meiklejohn recalled when his family received notification in Australia that his brother had been killed over Belgium. Peter Meiklejohn, who lives in Wagga, said at the time he just adjusted his life to accept that Bruce wasn’t coming home and got on with it. “With so many reports coming home of those lost in the war, it was always in your mind that one of your family may not make it,” he said. “My mother Lily, who died when I was 15, never got over losing Bruce.” After the crash the Germans buried FLGOFF Meiklejohn and FLGOFF Redwood at Brustem. They were moved to their current resting place at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Heverlee after the war. Part of the crew of FLGOFF Robert Bruce Meiklejohn’s Stirling EF-366 at Oakington 1943. From left FLGOFF Charles Redwood (RNZAF), FSGT Frank Hugo (RAF), FSGT Les Ellingham (RAF), FLGOFF Meiklejohn, FSGT Jack Kilfoyle (RAF), FSGT Bill Cole (RAF). Absent FSGT E. Brown (RNZAF). Photo: AWM History 11 I’d like to thank the heritage centre for agreeing to display something that is a personal family story. Stuart Meiklejohn Stuart Meiklejohn presents a plaque that pays tribute to WWII hero FLGOFF Robert Bruce Meiklejohn (his uncle) to OIC RAAF Base Wagga Heritage Centre SQNLDR Nigel Webster. Photo: SGT Dave Morley Prepare your resume before you need it … See website for Recognition of Prior Learning Fees & Conditions BSB80215 Graduate Diploma of Strategic Leadership 3 BSB61015 Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management 1 BSB51915 Diploma of Leadership and Management 1 CPP50611 Diploma of Security and Risk Management 1 BSB51415 Diploma of Project Management 1 BSB50215 Diploma of Business 1 BSB51615 Diploma of Quality Auditing 2 BSB51315 Diploma of Work Health and Safety 2 BSB41415 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety 2 www.hamel.edu.au 1300 7 999 14 info@hamel.edu.au Qualifications Assessed by Hamel Institute RTO 32399 and … 1 Issued by Hamel Institute RTO 32399 2 Validated & Issued by PIRII Australia Pty Ltd RTO 88194 3 Validated & Issued by Tafe Queensland East Coast RTO 0418